


bones full of liquid gold

by ElasticElla



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alpha Maia, Alternate Universe, Established Relationship, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Wingfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-12-19 02:55:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11888463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElasticElla/pseuds/ElasticElla
Summary: The wings were supposed to be a godsend, angelsent if you will. They were supposed to fix the curse, rewriting Maia’s genetic material and taking it away once and for all.





	bones full of liquid gold

**Author's Note:**

> to be clear, the au here is that maureen is also a werewolf & werewolves operate more like traditional werewolves re:turning

The wings were supposed to be a godsend, angelsent if you will. They were supposed to fix the curse, rewriting Maia’s genetic material and taking it away once and for all. It was supposed to mean stability and tranquility, a new life the entire pack could push towards without worry. No more accidents, no more innocents hurt under the full moon or high emotions. 

Maureen feels tears prick the back of her eyes, refuses to let them fall. She had been the one who found the scientist in the first place. And while Isabelle had warned them the entire time that it was a dicey operation for complete control of turning, Maureen had been _so_ sure it was the answer. Maia had insisted on getting the wings first of course, as the pack alpha she wasn’t going to let anyone try before she knew it was safe. Worst case, they thought the wings wouldn’t work, her body attacking them as a foreign entity. Just two more scars in a long line of them, nearly as dramatic as the scratches on her neck.

It wasn’t supposed to make things worse, a werewolf no longer tethered to the ground.

Maia is home as dawn cracks open, clothes lost, body and wings covered in blood and dirt. The new brown and gold feathers are messiest, the gold nearly entirely hidden and the brown muddied. 

“I had almost no control,” Maia whispers, eyes vacant. “I had to stay in the air I couldn't risk landing…”

Maureen comes to her side as Maia slumps, exhaustion deep in her shoulders. “C’mon, lets get you cleaned up.” 

Half the reason they picked this apartment was the oversized bathroom, Maureen’s favorite place has always been in the water and Maia can’t be in small spaces. Their bathtub is practically a pool, taking up most of the room and ordinarily feeling decadent. With Maia’s new wings though, it’s a tight fit, Maureen squeezing in behind her. 

“Wings first, yeah?” Maureen checks, fingers near their base. 

Maia nods, and Maureen starts, gently finger combing through her feathers. The small downy feathers aren’t in too bad shape- mostly just caked in mud, and a few twisted wrong. It’s the medium ones she’s worried about, where the rust red is brighter- but she’s getting ahead of herself. Maureen works slowly, pressing out even the smallest bits of grit, inch by inch until the mahogany feathers begin to shine once more. Maureen’s halfway up her right wing joint when Maia speaks. 

“I only remember someone attacking Bat. He’s okay right?” Maia asks quickly, wings tensing. 

“He’s fine, already healed up,” Maureen says. 

“Good, good.” Maia says, relaxing instantly. “I’ll have to talk to him, I dunno _why_ anyone would go after that pup…” Maia trails off. 

An ugly twist of guilt spins her stomach, but Maureen isn’t ruining Maia’s one free morning. She hasn’t even slept yet, and won’t if she knew exactly why Bat was targeted. Once she’s clean and eats and has slept for at least five hours, she’ll tell her, Maureen decides. (Besides, if Maia knew now she’d go after the Seelie Queen alone for deliberately provoking a reaction. Rightfully so, but Maureen knows it wouldn’t end well for Maia and the Queen would learn all she wanted about the new wings.)

“Mmm, that’s nice,” Maia murmurs, pulling Maureen out of her head as her fingers reach the tops of her wings. There are more golden feathers higher on her wings, and they’re faster to clean- any speck of dirt dramatic. Maureen isn’t sure how long she’s been cleaning them, gets lost in the repetitive motions. 

“You’ve gotten really good at this,” Maia says as Maureen finishes up on her left wing. 

“One of us had to,” Maureen teases, turning the water back on to rinse off her wings. She pulls the plug too, the bathwater murky from the beginning but now not even tepid as well. Cold air rushes in as the tub drains, only their feet warm where the new water pours in.

Maia turns around in her arms, her wings sending droplets every which way. “I’m cold,” she declares with a bold smile and Maureen is on board with that. Maia kisses her, tastes like her spearmint mouthwash, and Maureen holds her as close as she can. This morning is _theirs_ , and Maureen is going to make sure Maia knows it too. 

(Maia giggles as she dots kisses down her sternum, sighs when her fingers rub between her back and wings, and positively moans when Maureen keeps kissing lower.)


End file.
